Edith's plan
by miss aj kent
Summary: Edith hatches a plan to bring Margaret back to London after her mother dies; she travels to Milton with the help of Henry and her husband. (My first story- quite short chapters) Any reviews gratefully received.
1. Chapter 1

**How does the arrival of Margret's family in Milton effect Elizabeth Gaskell's beautiful story?**

**_AU: Mrs Hale has passed away, Fredrick has left Milton and the consequences of his meeting at Outwood station are still in play. Mr Thornton has told Margret that any 'foolish passion' he had for her is entirely over and he has scarcely been to see Mr Hale since. In this version of events Margret and John haven't been to the great Exhibition, John has never met Margret's family._**

Edith Lennox had never been a brave woman; she had no call to be. All her life was spent in secure surroundings; she had been trained to deal with almost any situation that could occur in the highest circles in London society. Many complimented her on her poise and gracefulness. She was a determined young woman, when she had set her mind to a task it was always achieved. She was not a fool but had never enjoyed the thrust of an academic argument; that was for her cousin Margaret, debating with her scholarly father.

Since her childhood she had never spent more than a summer away from her cousin. She had always longed for Margret when she went on her summer trips back to Hellstone. With almost two years apart and with the hardship that she knew her cousin to be enduring she decided that she would muster all the bravery she had and would venture into the wild and squalid North.

Like most of Edith's plans it had been decided in a flash and contemplation of the details was left aside. She was walking with Sheltow in the garden re-reading one of Margaret's letters when it dawned on her that she should make a trip to see her. She could maybe convince her selfish father to come back to the south, especially with Mrs Hales passing. Margaret could be saved and brought back home.

Edith knew very well that her husband and mother were not going to allow her to travel so far alone, she would need a chaperone. With Maxwell's business hours and her mother distaste for trade she doubted that they would acquiesce. It would be a different story with Henry, surely he would see that the trip would allow for him to see Margaret and perhaps Margaret feelings for Henry would have soften after being surrounded by the harsh manners of Northern tradesmen for two years. This could end very well indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

The train came to a slow stop. The grey sky hadn't cleared all journey, Edith had to check her pocket watch to see if had become dusk already. It was actually only 3pm; they had taken the first train from London and had made perfect time.

Maxwell squeezed his wife's hand.

"Well My dear I hope you are ready for an adventure now we are here in the wild lands of Milton." Edith pulled on her husband's hand to punish him for his teasing tone.

"You promised that if you were to come that you would be as kind as possible and help me to bring our dear Margaret home. Henry is here to help, aren't you Henry?"

Maxwell sniggered at a disgusted Henry.

"Something up your nose brother?" he laughed.

"Maxwell, I hope you are still laughing when you are inhaling the rancid air!" Henry bit back.

"Come along, we are here on a mission are we not? Come Henry, Faint heart never won fair lady!" Maxwell opened the train carriage door and signalled for a porter.

Both Edith and Henry exited the train standing a little bewildered on the busy platform. Henry was irritated by Maxwell's broad grin, doesn't he take anything seriously?

"Well a lively place I dare say!" Maxwell said handing his bags to a young boy who was pushing a trolley. He reached for Edith and helped her through the crowd, leaving a very bad tempered Henry to fight his own way to the station door.

The three of them stood at the door to the road watching the hordes of people filling by. It was as busy as the station, with the noise and smells of the street vendors adding to the throng of activity and life.

Eventually a carriage was acquired and the trio where on their way to The Grand – Milton's finest hotel, according to their newly appointed tour guide, the particularly luscious driver wasn't shy about giving the visitors his insights into Milton and his opinion of the south. The driver had spoken to them the entire journey; he had been impertinent enough to ask if they had the funds to pay for The Grand hotel, Edith and Henry had never been more insulted and Maxwell had never been more amused.


	3. Chapter 3

It was late evening before the trio had found the hotel and as neither of them cared to venture out again in the bitter wind they decided to spend the night in the hotel and find Crampton tomorrow. The hotel was very grand to Milton standards; adequate was all the praise that the southerners gave.

By 7pm Edith was tired from the days travel and retired to her room to rest. Henry and Maxwell decided to take a brandy in the bar at the hotel. They were greeted by equally luscious and frank Milton men, curious as to the purpose of their trip. Henry had grown tired of their questioning and their crude comments about lazy soft southerners.

Maxwell had made an acquaintance called Mr Latimer, who had convinced Maxwell of the near certain return of any investment into a mill. Maxwell had tried to bring Henry into the conversation but he was in no mood to talk business with any of these men.

"Come Henry, where is that ambitious enterprising spirit you pride yourself with?" Maxwell provoked.

Henry glared at his brother and took another swig of his brandy.

"Ah Thornton, just the fellow." Mr Latimer ushered the tall gentleman forward.

"This gentleman is the very man I was speaking about. Thornton is master of Mallbourgh Mills the most successful Mill in Milton. These two fellows have travelled up from London they have come with plans to invest." Latimer said pushing John toward the pair of southerners.

"Good evening gentlemen, I would not have Slickson hear you Mr Latimer." John said offering his hand to the gentlemen.

"Good evening, sir I am Maxwell Lennox, this is my brother Henry Lennox. I must admit that investment was not the motive for our visit, but I am always in mind for new and interesting ventures and your city is certainly that Mr Thornton.

"Well I am glad to hear our city is to your liking Mr Lennox, it has not always been the case when southerners come to Milton."

"Well he did not say that it was to our liking, just that it is interesting, like that of an oddity at a museum." Henry replied sneeringly even for him.

"My brother and I see very different things in Milton. Then again we have such different out looks on almost everything; it is not surprising that we differ on Milton's prospects." Maxwell tried to lighten the conversation.

"If we have proved ourselves interesting and promising to one London gentleman, I suppose Milton must be grateful." Mr Thornton matched Henry's derision.

Mr Latimer intervened, "What may I ask was your motive in your visit?"

Henry huffed at the impertinence of the question.

Maxwell only grinned and answered, "My wife has relations in Milton. She has longed to visit for a while but business affairs have not permitted our visit."

"Ah well, who could be related? We are sure to know them, Thornton and I know all the families in Milton." Latimer inquired further.

Maxwell's grin grew larger at this man's total lack of discretion. "It is the Hales, we come to visit." He gave up and told them the family. Latimer grinned at the mention of the name but Mr Thornton grew almost grey.

"See I told you, Thornton you're Mr Hale's student are you not? Latimer said with glee.

"Yes." Was all the reply from Thornton.

"It is not Mr Hale we are connected to. My wife's cousin is Miss Hale, Edith and Margret grew up together in London. My wife's mother and Mrs Hale were sisters."

"Ah Miss Hale?" Latimer looked to Thornton.

"You are acquainted with Miss Hale too aren't you Thornton." Henry was drawn to this almost mocking statement. He didn't like what this Latimer was implying. What acquaintance could Margret possibly have with this rough tradesman?


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Sorry for the delay. Thank you for reading and your kind reviews. _

Margaret sat alone in the upstairs sitting room, the candle burned low. The curtain's pattern had burned into her mind displaying the floral design behind her eye lids. The house was deathly silent. Dixon had tired of arranging her mother's things and had started to feel the exhaustion of the last several weeks begin to build in her. She had taken to her room a few hours ago.

Her father was also in his room; he had eaten very little and had claimed his need for some rest, when both women watched him retreat into his bedroom. Margaret suspected that he was having the same level of success as she was. Sleep, when it came at all, was fitful and plagued with half remembered dreams.

Yesterday morning she had received a letter from Fredrick to announce his safe arrival on the continent. It was dated a week ago so she had to believe that by now he would be safely in Spain. Her fears of a coroner's inquest had also been dispelled when the Police Constable had returned to apologise. They were not searching for Fredrick and her reputation was untarnished. Why then was she still dreaming of that night at the station?

The thought of it turned her stomach and increased her heart rate. She understood this was due to her great fears for Fredrick's safety, now though she had to wonder at why this incident caused her so much upheaval.

Perhaps it was the grief that had twisted this event into something she could not resolve. She took a breath; feeling a dull ache in her chest caused by the merest expansion of her lungs, reminding her of the effort it was now just to breathe. The loss of her mother and their parting from Fredrick had left her and her father more alone than she thought possible. Her father's retreat into his intellectual cave made her still lonelier.

She fought the urge to curse Milton. If they had stayed in Helstone they would not be this alone and perhaps her mother would not have succumbed to her illness quite so quickly. It was not in her nature to dwell on things she couldn't change. She and her father were alone in Milton, this was their home and she would continue to forge a life here.

The image of Mr Thornton's angered face as he spat the words "I'm looking to the future!" sprung to her mind. It would not do to lament the things she couldn't change. She too had to look to the future for her floundering father's sake at least.

With the remnants of her stubborn oath pushing her on she pulled her aching body from her bed and faced another day of busying herself with mundane chores and attempting to affect her fathers depressed spirits.


	5. Chapter 5

Edith's Plan Chapter 5-

**_AN: The timeline has changed slightly from the book/TV series- Also I couldn't remember the exact lines between Thornton and Higgins form the TV series. Sorry if that kind of deviation annoys you._**

**_Once again sorry for the delay. Thank you for reading and your kind reviews. _**

Footsteps echoed along the empty yard outside his window. The hands had left hours ago, intrigued Thornton moved to his window. He could make out a gang of men. Where had they come from at this hour? Sensing trouble he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and followed his instinct's.

As he advanced the men broke off in different directions. Higgins had been in the centre of the gathering and was the only one to notice the master's approach.

"Evening master." His deep darkshire accent boomed across the yard.

"Higgins what is the meaning of this gathering?" He said looking the trouble maker square in the eye.

"We stayed to finish the work." Higgins replied maintaining Thornton's eye contact.

"I can't pay you overtime!" Thornton bit back.

"I see you working late. Look we know that it needs finishing so we finished it. Most men are happy to stay if it means this mill don't go under."

Thornton begun to refute the idea but stopped before his pride got the better of him. Lowering his head he rested against the wall.

"You would have missed your supper." Thornton replied his voice softer as he relaxed his guard.

"Eye, though there were nothing but veg to have anyway." Higgins replied joining Thornton against the wall.

"Why's that?" Thornton asked, surprised at his own curiosity. It shocked him to think that in all this time he had never wondered about the lives of the men that he worked with all day.

"It happens every now and then the butchers have nothing worth selling and our money doesn't stretch. That's market forces." Higgins replied giving his not so formidable master a knowing smile.

Thornton's stomach twisted as recalled the years of vegetable stew and off cut meat his mother had prepared in their difficult years. How quickly he had become accustom to the trappings of wealth and success burying the memories of deprivation and hunger.

"It's a pity you can't get some scheme going, buy whole sale and then everyone would have enough to have a good meal."

"Don't let the masters union hear you say that." Higgins joked, weary of the master's threshold for his impertinence. The master looked just as relaxed, even amused. Higgins was very confused by this man; he should have known he wasn't the same as the other masters Miss Margaret had defended him after all.

"It would please masters to have their workers well feed and able to work better, unless their idiots, which some of them are.." Thornton replied. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Higgins; he had a good mind and sound sense. He might have known that Miss Hale would be right, no wonder she viewed the strike so negatively, with Higgins as representative of the hands she couldn't help but have sympathy for the men.

"Well can I look into it master?" Higgins asked hoping he had been sincere.

"I'm not promising anything mind, but if you get me up some figures we can see what can be done."

Higgins nodded his acceptance.

"Are you off home for your supper now then master?"

"Oh no mother would have left me some cold meat out for me. I have a lesson with Mr Hale this evening so I shall probably not go home just yet."

Higgins faced changed at the mention of the Hales.

"How are they? I saw Miss Margaret in the market and she looked very pale and weary." Higgins protectiveness for Margaret was clear in his voice. Thornton had to admit the benefit for the Hales in such a loyal friend.

"They are bearing up. Mr Hale is very depressed and lacks the enthusiasm he once had for intellectual debate. I think he endures our lessons for my sake."

"It's no wonder they are so low being so far from their home and with this to bear. I wonder if they will return to the South ?"

"Perhaps?" was all Thornton could bring himself to utter. The image of three very Fashionable Londoners sprung to mind. They would have had time to visit the Hales by now. He was sure they had come to bring them back to London with them. All day he had waited for a note from Mr Hale cancelling their lesson but as no note had arrived he thought he should honour their arrangement.

After shaking Higgins hand in thanks for his extra work, he bid him good evening and begun his walk to the Hales'.

He was reluctant to see Margaret with her relations. They were the polar opposite of him making his proposal all the more ludicrous. She belonged with their sort not a tradesman from the North. Knowing very well the pain that this night could inflict he was still drawn to their home. He wondered if her pull would be as strong from London.


End file.
